The present invention relates to software licenses, and more specifically, to assigning software license levels implementing a content space.
Software products are often licensed in multiple ways for different markets and customer sets and ship with different license levels. “Higher” license levels correspond to increased function with increased cost to the customer. Three or four levels for a product are not uncommon. For example, some basic level of function may be included with a platform or device or down-loadable from the Internet. For an additional fee the next level of license may be purchased with give the customer more value-add. A typical license structure often relates to the size of the system or platform of number of users that will benefit, with larger systems or larger numbers of users having license fees that are higher. Another license structure relates to functions—some functions are available with a basic license at no additional charge, and stepped levels of function can be licensed for additional fees.
Over successive releases, the cost of maintaining the correct boundaries between license levels and product function tend to grow. There are various reasons for this such as product functional evolution, changes in license level definitions, defect fixes, and competitive pressures.